Banana Scoop

I’m not a big foreign film buff. I wish I could, because there’s an amazing plethora of fantastic films all ranging from Swedish to Japanese to Chinese. A couple of days ago, I got my hands on a little American-known Korean film: The Good, the Bad, The Weird. It’s an obvious tribute to the 1966 classic starring Clint Eastwood. While it seems like a cheesy ripoff, the film itself is an absolute blast to watch having an amazing combination of dry humor, great action, and compelling leads.

The Story

The story revolves around 3 Korean outlaws in Manchuria. All three are in either pursuit of a treasure map or each other. Also involved are the Japanese National Army and Manchurian bandits also in pursuit of the same thing. What happens is a series of events that involve gun fights, thrilling chases, and surprisingly delightful dialogue. This all leads up to the suspenseful finish and rather satisfying ending. So let’s meet the players.

The Good

Park Do-Won, aka the Good, is a bounty hunter after the head of one of the most notorious outlaws in Manchuria, Park Chang-yi. He’s level headed, a great shot, and being the good guy means he’s definitely the one to root for. In his pursuit of the the 3000 yen/yuan/won, bounty head Park Chang-yi, Park Do-Won stumbles upon Yoon Tae-goo, who he considers a fool of an outlaw. Together they look for the treasure to split it 50/50 where Park Do-Won is doubling this opportunity to make some money and catch Park Chang-yi who is also looking for the treasure map.

The Bad

Park Chang-yi claims to be the most dangerous man in Manchuria and even Korea. With a bounty of 3000 [I don’t recall the currency used], he’s got the credits to back that statement. He’s slick, unforgiving, and deadly with a knife, gun, fist, you name it. In pursuit of the map, he’ll kill anyone and everyone that gets in his way including the bounty hunter Park Do-Won. When he finds out the coveted treasure map falls in the hands of the fool outlaw Yoon Tae-Goo, a fire is lit in Park Chang-yi’s eyes as he recalls an embarrassing duel he had with him years ago. Now he has even more reason to track Yoon Tae-Goo down and finish what he started.

The Weird

Yoon Tae-Goo is a laid back petty thief with a measly bounty of 500 yen/yuan/etc. His methods, while unusual and unconventional, prove effective in his many escapes from the hands of bounty hunters, murderers, and army forces. Admist a train robbery involving a famous bounty hunter Park Do-Won and an equally famous outlaw Park Chang-yi, Yoon Tae-Goo escapes with the train’s most coveted piece of cargo, an ancient map to buried treasure somewhere in Manchuria. With nearly everyone on his heels, Yoon Tae-Goo must rely on his unique ways if he’s going to survive to see tomorrow.

Overall:

This movie is an absolute blast to watch. There’s a wonderful combinations of The Good’s suave James Bond/Jason Bourne style of dispatching foes, The Bad’s deliciously evil methodology and execution of nearly everyone in his path, and the Weird’s overall sense of humor all balance each other out well. The film has a very distinct sense of humor that I usually see in Asian films like Stephen Chow movies, where dry humor and slapstick are utilized well with distinct facial expressions. The film locations and set pieces are beautiful and culturally wonderful of a place that is definitely not like the suburb neighborhood I live in.

Below I’ve included the trailer and the first part of a full version on Youtube!

The Trailer

A full version on Youtube!

This is the first part of six. If you’re still interested after watching the first 25 minutes [which I’m sure you will], you can search the user name’s channel for the remaining 5 parts. Enjoy and let me know what you thought!